Thomas & Friends to air seven days a week on Channel 5

Youngsters can now enjoy a daily dose of fun and adventures with their favourite tank engine as Thomas & Friends is to begin airing seven days a week on Channel 5's Milkshake.

The show will be viewable on weekdays at 6:50am and weekends at 7:00am.

Series 21, the latest series which launched last year, sees Thomas and his fellow engines embark on a new series of exciting journeys. In 2017, Thomas & Friends reached a total of 4.8 million viewers including 1.4 million kids on Milkshake. It was also the preschool programming block’s best year for share among kids aged four-15 years-old, up 16 per cent year on year.

“We are delighted that Thomas & Friends fans can now tune into the show seven days a week and that it continues to remain a popular hit for pre-schoolers,” commented Wendy Hill, brand activation at Mattel UK.

The launch of the series has been billed as the ‘blast off for the most significant changes to the world-famous children’s brand,’ but has been challenged by critics such as Anne Widdecombe as "PC meddling"